Best cue under $1000
- Thread starter Shahbaz147
- Start date
I bought a Sawdust cue with all three shafts, kw, maple and cf, and an 8" extension. I love the kw shaft. I think I was right around $1k for the whole setup. Would highly recommend his cues. Excellent communication and fast shipping.
The Old Jaybird
Active member
op....you know what shaft you want, just pick up a used Joss butt on ebay and you are all set. right??
Agreed. Beautiful cues, very reasonably priced, lifetime warranty, made in USA, fantastic customer service. They bought their own timberland so they could harvest their own trees, process them in their own lumber mill, built a machine shop so they can build all their own screws and joints. Who else does that?
Pechauer uses their own proprietary speed joint, but they will build you a cue with pretty much any joint for about a $50 upgrade. I was going to have them build me one with a radial joint, but decided I'm perfectly happy with the two I already own.
I asked him that very same question, earlier today.
You'll get lot more cue for your money with a Joss and it's a better cue. (JMEO) I think Schon has priced their-selves out of the market.
Call Jacoby directly and ask to talk with Brandon. Customer service beyond compare!!
mick hodapp
Registered
Why is no one mentioning Schmelke Cues here ? As far as I am concerned David Schmelke in Rice Lake, WI. makes as good of a hitting hitting cue as any of the other cues that I have owned & played with since 1964 including a Brunswick Titleist, 2 Hueblers,a Joss West. a Richard Black, a Jerry Pechuar & a Schon ltd. Schmelke cues are Very reasonably priced & they will customise to your preferences. I have been playing with Schmelke cues for over 40 years now & have owned 5 of them & have been very happy with each one of them & if you are looking for a sweet hitting cue for a small amount of money I would check them out. I personally like the Bacote wood sneaky Pete, wrapless cue but my last one was their Bacote Merry Widow w/ brown & white linen wrap with Bacote rings,13mm shaft with a extended pro taper & a medium Le Pro tip (all for under $300 + they made the butt oversized for me ) Hope this helps & good luck !
I have a Jackpot Schmelke that I am really impressed by the hit and play, that I purchased knowing exactly what it was, but as far as quality it’s not up to par with production cue makers in Wisconsin such as Pechauer, Jacoby, or Schon. Also, nobody keeps their first cue as their primary cue for a lifetime and a Schmelke is going to maintain very little resale value. If someone wants a $100-$200 cue to bang around with, or some house cues for guests to use, I get it.
I love my entry level Schmelke too and prefer it to other "higher quality" cues I've hit with. Hits great and is very customizable as I was able to choose from joint types, tip diameter, length, weight, etc. which for the price I paid, less than $150, is not something I would expect. Customer service is excellent as well. I've read some negative Schmelke posts on here in the last year or so though my experiences with the cue and company have been nothing but positive.
Their prices have gone up a bit since I purchased my main player from them 5-6 years ago though still remain super reasonable and definitely worth checking out.
Different strokes for different folks, as you can see here. My advice would be to go to an event where there are many cuemakers displaying their wares. Try them out for yourself and pick the one that feels best for you!
How important to you are points and inlays? They raise the price a lot.
If you're okay with a plain jane or something with minimal decoration, you of course have many more choices.
As for a quality cue that you can have for a long time, you can get that with a sub-$200 Schmelke. I had the ebony cue from Schmelke's M-Series line (it might be discontinued), and I could have happily used it for the rest of my pool days. I sold it only because I found a clean, straight copy of my first good cue from the early 1990's. It wasn't that the old cue was better than the Schmelke, but that I just wanted it for sentimental reasons. If you go with a Schmelke (or any other cue) and don't like how its hit feels, try some different tips before deciding that the cue isn't for you.
If you're okay with a plain jane but want a cue with higher-end wood and fittings, that's where custom cues and some of the more expensive productions cues come in. In that tier, I think Jacoby is a good value. If I wanted a really nice plain jane and was comfortable spending between $500 and $1,000, I'd probably get a Jacoby HB1 with a leather wrap close in color to the olivewood handle the cue normally comes with. Although the olivewood handle is gorgeous on that cue, I prefer the feel of a linen or leather wrap. If you like that cue but want something at a lower price, Schmelke's CC Series cues look like a great alternative. I'm not recommending the Jacoby or the Schmelke CC's specifically but am just referring to them as examples of budget and higher-tier US-made cues from established companies.
Some cue enthusiasts who buy a cue intending to keep it eventually give in to curiosity about different makers' cues. Some cuemakers' reputations are a part of pool lore, so having one of their cues associates us with that lore. In our evolution as pool aficionados, we want to explore these kinds of things. I'm not criticizing that. But if you're more budget-minded and just want a good playing cue, it's good to be aware of that. Some people are fine with the buying and selling, and others come to regret letting go of their first good cue and going down the cue rabbit hole.
Good luck with whatever you choose!
If you're okay with a plain jane or something with minimal decoration, you of course have many more choices.
As for a quality cue that you can have for a long time, you can get that with a sub-$200 Schmelke. I had the ebony cue from Schmelke's M-Series line (it might be discontinued), and I could have happily used it for the rest of my pool days. I sold it only because I found a clean, straight copy of my first good cue from the early 1990's. It wasn't that the old cue was better than the Schmelke, but that I just wanted it for sentimental reasons. If you go with a Schmelke (or any other cue) and don't like how its hit feels, try some different tips before deciding that the cue isn't for you.
If you're okay with a plain jane but want a cue with higher-end wood and fittings, that's where custom cues and some of the more expensive productions cues come in. In that tier, I think Jacoby is a good value. If I wanted a really nice plain jane and was comfortable spending between $500 and $1,000, I'd probably get a Jacoby HB1 with a leather wrap close in color to the olivewood handle the cue normally comes with. Although the olivewood handle is gorgeous on that cue, I prefer the feel of a linen or leather wrap. If you like that cue but want something at a lower price, Schmelke's CC Series cues look like a great alternative. I'm not recommending the Jacoby or the Schmelke CC's specifically but am just referring to them as examples of budget and higher-tier US-made cues from established companies.
Some cue enthusiasts who buy a cue intending to keep it eventually give in to curiosity about different makers' cues. Some cuemakers' reputations are a part of pool lore, so having one of their cues associates us with that lore. In our evolution as pool aficionados, we want to explore these kinds of things. I'm not criticizing that. But if you're more budget-minded and just want a good playing cue, it's good to be aware of that. Some people are fine with the buying and selling, and others come to regret letting go of their first good cue and going down the cue rabbit hole.
Good luck with whatever you choose!
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Rusty in Montana
Well-known member
I'll admit that I have a Peachauer cue with a rouge shaft and a maple shaft that hits a ball very well that I'd be willing to sell , the only thing wrong with it is in my head ha ha I'm to used to a wood shaft to switch over .
Another cue maker is Mike Gulyassy for whatever reason folks on here don't care for his cues and as far as I'm concerned they're missing out on a quality cue .
I agree with Jay , go to a pool hall and ask around to try a few shots with different types of pool cues which works until you live in a area like i do where the numbers of people who like upper division end cue are rare .
Another cue maker is Mike Gulyassy for whatever reason folks on here don't care for his cues and as far as I'm concerned they're missing out on a quality cue .
I agree with Jay , go to a pool hall and ask around to try a few shots with different types of pool cues which works until you live in a area like i do where the numbers of people who like upper division end cue are rare .
As far as production cues I have had Joss, Schon and Jacoby. Just went to the Peachauer site and thought they werent that nice looking. But everybody likes different things.I am shooting with a 100 dollar or so 25 yr old Falcon butt with Black shaft